My Darling, Coax Me.
CHAPTER 27: “Miss Yun will have a bright future.”
The play was over, and Yun Ling no longer needed to stay in the same room with him.
A sigh of relief escaped from the bottom of her heart.
Returning to her own courtyard, she found that Xi Que hadn't yet gone to sleep. In fact, Xi Que and Hua Mei had been keeping watch in the shadows outside the door just a short while ago.
They are slender in build, making them easier to conceal.
Today was Hua Mei's turn to watch, so Xi Que came back.
Yun Ling lived in the same courtyard with them, their rooms were next door, and the purpose was to protect her.
Over the course of a few days, Yun Ling had grown closer to them. Though Xi Que and Hua Mei were Shadow Guards who seemed cold and unfeeling, they were actually quite thoughtful and considerate.
Yun Ling thought, when she was a palace maid, she had never known that there were female Shadow Guards in the palace.
“It must be very difficult to be a Shadow Guards, right?” Yun Ling had asked Xi Que.
Xi Que remained silent, “This is confidential.”
Yun Ling didn't ask any further.
Xi Que hesitated for a moment, then added, “It does require a very long training period.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
How could it not be hard? Without even needing to mention it, Yun Ling could imagine the hardships and bitterness involved.
Back in their quarters, Xi Que immediately saw the bite marks on Yun Ling's neck. “Miss Yun, His Highness asked me to apply medicine for you.”
“Okay,” Yun Ling followed her into the room.
Xi Que brought over some high-quality medicine and gauze. Yun Ling immediately took them, saying, “I'll do it myself.”
Xi Que handed her the medicine and sat down beside her, “Just pour out a little.”
“This is a secret medicine developed by the National Master. It'll heal quickly after application. There aren't many bottles left in the palace, yet His Highness gave it to you.”
Yun Ling poured some medicine onto a piece of gauze. Hearing this, she didn't say anything, thinking to herself, “This wound wasn't even caused by his bite.”
Xi Que, using the candlelight, looked at her eyebrows and eyes, which were gentle and beautiful.
She thought to herself, “It seems the Eastern Palace is about to get a new Crown Princess.”
Before she could fully recover her senses, a sharp pain shot through her wrist. Lowering her head, she saw Yun Ling carefully applying the medicated gauze to the long, thin wound on her wrist.
“I saw it by accident when I came back,” Yun Ling said, tying the gauze, then looked up and asked, “Does it hurt?”
“It's alright,” Xi Que replied, her voice a little stiff.
After a while, “Thank you, Miss Yun.”
It was the first time anyone had cared for her like this. Even noticing the wound she'd hidden under her sleeve.
Shadow Guards fear neither life nor death; injuries and bloodshed are commonplace. Especially such a small wound—sometimes she herself overlooked them.
Yun Ling smiled. “You don't need to thank me. I want to thank you and Hua Mei for protecting me all this time.”
Xi Que's thoughts faltered for a moment; suddenly, she understood why His Highness the Crown Prince seemed different towards Miss Yun.
Even she liked Miss Yun Ling.
She was so thoughtful and gentle.
Her gaze fell upon the tooth mark just below Yun Ling's ear; it was deeply bitten, still slightly bleeding.
The Crown Prince was always violent; she hadn't expected him to be so cruel to Miss Yun.
But she could see that Miss Yun Ling might become more than just a Lady-in-Waiting (Shanggong) in the future.
Xi Que looked at her, hesitating before saying, “Miss Yun will have a bright future.”
Yun Ling finished applying the medicine to herself, understanding the meaning behind her words. She shook her head. “I know what you mean, but you're really overthinking it.”
“A palace maid is of low status; His Highness would never take her as his consort.”
Xi Que is an assassin, skilled in martial arts, but her mind is straightforward and doesn't think in complicated ways. It never occurred to her that the Crown Prince's past would cause her to overanalyze things.
Putting away the medicine bottle, she said, “Alright, get some sleep. We might have another tough battle tomorrow.”
——
Xie Jue had Pei Yuan squander more silver, even establishing connections with the Prefect of Qingzhou. Sure enough, Zhang Huanglin arrived the next day with a smile, ready to discuss important matters with Xie Jue again.
At that time, Xie Jue was enjoying the scenery in the water pavilion, accompanied by his beautiful concubine.
Zhang Huanglin gave a subtle signal to his attendant, who presented a delicate makeup box. Upon opening it, the glittering gold ornaments and jeweled hairpins caught the woman's eye.
“Last time I saw that Brother Lu greatly favored this Concubine Yun, so I selected a couple of items from my family's jewelry shop. A small, humble gift, just a token of my regard.”
Xie Jue bowed his hands in a gesture of respect, saying, “Brother Zhang, you're too kind.”
Yun Ling immediately stood up, eagerly picking up a gold hairpin with a double-flower entwined branch design. “This is the latest style! I saw Lady Wang wearing one just the other day.”
Lady Wang is the wife of the Qingzhou prefect. The fact that she, a mere concubine, is associating with the prefect's wife is quite remarkable.
Yun Ling, unable to contain herself, immediately removed the hairpin from her hair and replaced it with the new gold hairpin. Then, she turned to the seated young man with a charming smile and asked, “Sixth Master, do I look pretty?”
Xie Jue seemingly impatiently waved his hand.
Zhang Huanglin, clearly well-versed in such matters, smiled and then brought up the main topic. “Brother Lu, what do you think of my little gift?”
Before Xie Jue could speak, Yun Ling interjected, “In my humble opinion, it's quite exquisite.”
Xie Jue said: “Be quiet, you woman, what do you know?”
Yun Ling pouted her lips in displeasure.
Zhang Huanglin interjected, “Brother Lu, you've got that wrong. In the jewelry business, it's the preferences of the ladies that matter most. You've been in Qingzhou for some time now, so you must know of our Wubao Zhai's reputation, right? The jewelry favored by the daughters of prominent families is mostly from our shop.”
“We consistently strive for exquisite craftsmanship, perfection, and novelty—that's how we've built our nationwide reputation. To be honest, many wealthy merchants in Qingzhou have tried to partner with me, hoping to share in our success, but I've refused them all. Do you know why, Brother Lu?”
Xie Jue: “Why?”
Zhang Huanglin: “I've run Wubao Zhai for over a decade; it's my life's work. Firstly, I'm cautious, and secondly, they simply don't meet my standards.”
Xie Jue: “Oh? Please elaborate.”
Zhang Huanglin: “You must understand that the quality and variety of our Wubao Zhai goods are top-notch. I wouldn't easily allow franchising, as it could damage our reputation. If someone wants to join, they must use our materials, have a suitable shop, employ our trained embroiderers, and achieve the same quality as our Wubao Zhai products after undergoing standardized training. Furthermore, a substantial franchise fee is required.”
Xie Jue listened, then chuckled. “Brother Zhang, your calculations are far beyond what most people would dare to imagine.”
Zhang Huanglin: “You and I are both businessmen. Let's be frank. If someone wants to use the Wubao Zhai name, I naturally need to charge a fee. Otherwise, wouldn't I be working for free to benefit others?”
“Brother Lu, if you find the price too high, you can simply consider this a wasted trip. However, I'll tell you plainly, if you choose to work with me, the profits... are unimaginable. I won't say more. Many people want to cooperate with me; you can think it over carefully, Brother Lu.”
Zhang Huanglin didn't aggressively push Xie Jue to join, which would have seemed suspicious. Instead, he offered the enormous lure of profit and highlighted the many others vying for collaboration, emphasizing the rare opportunity. His approach was perfectly measured.
He truly is a veteran businessman.
Indeed, after some thought, Xie Jue asked, “How much is the total investment?”
“All expenses add up to one hundred thousand taels,” Zhang Huanglin stated, adding, “I can guarantee a return on investment within three years at most.”
Yun Ling covered her mouth. “It's that profitable?”
Zhang Huanglin smiled triumphantly. “Miss Yun, do you think I became the richest man in Qingzhou for nothing? If it weren't for the fact that I see a kinship with Brother Lu, and I happen to need to expand my business, I wouldn't usually let anyone join and share this profit.”
Yun Ling, her eyes gleaming at the prospect of wealth, shook Xie Jue's shoulder. “Sixth Master, this is such a good opportunity! You should agree!”
“You, a woman, what do you know? Do you know that one hundred thousand taels is all my—” He stopped himself mid-sentence.
Yun Ling pouted, her nervousness growing. She suddenly said to Zhang Huanglin, “Mr. Zhang, you say it'll make money, but what if you're scamming us?”
“Our Sixth Master's wealth is obvious. Look at this enormous garden; you won't find another like it in all of Qingzhou. I wonder what Mr. Zhang's house is like; maybe it's already empty, and that's why you're desperately seeking out our Sixth Master! It's a huge sum of money!”
Xie Jue: “Be quiet! You're so reckless!”
Although he said that, his expression turned hesitant.
Zhang Huanglin calmly sized up the two naive individuals, then said readily, “It's alright. Miss Yun speaks frankly, and there's some truth to what she said. How about this, tomorrow Brother Lu brings the beauty to my humble abode as a guest?”
——
While Zhang's estate wasn't as large as Jingyuan, it was still a first-class mansion in Qingzhou.
The large three-courtyard mansion, from its fine wooden gates, exuded an air of wealth and history. Entering, one saw a clean and spacious outer courtyard, with two Taihu Lake landscape stones—a rarity in Youzhou—placed opposite each other, accompanied by several lush pine trees, creating a rather evocative scene.
Even just in the outer courtyard, the immense wealth of the Zhang family was already evident.
Zhang Huanglin introduced, “Brother Lu, don't underestimate these two stones. I spent a fortune to get them; they're worth their weight in gold!”
Passing through a moon gate and along a long corridor, Yun Ling glanced to the side and saw a beautiful woman feeding fish by the pond, chatting and laughing with her maidservant.
While her features weren't exquisitely beautiful, her graceful figure and charming demeanor were captivating.
Zhang Huanglin glanced sideways, noticing that even their visitor, Lu Mian, was captivated, his eyes lingering on her, seemingly unable to look away.
His favored concubine, Yun Niang, immediately felt jealous. “Sixth Master, is she prettier than me?”
Lu Mian: “Her figure is quite good.”
Yun Niang: “Hmph.”
Zhang Huanglin, having secretly observed this little scene, smiled and said, “That's a dancer I brought back from the dance house. Naturally, her figure is excellent. Brother Lu, if you like her, I wouldn't mind giving her up.”
He's certainly a playboy, even eyeing another man's concubine.
Lu Mian clearly wanted to accept, but because his own concubine was jealous, he said, “Let's talk about it later.”
Yun Niang, a spoiled concubine, became even more unhappy at this, her face darkening.
Zhang Huanglin, having prepared a lavish feast, said, “After dinner, shall I take you, Brother Lu, to see our Five Treasures Studio?”
Xie Jue nodded. “That's exactly what I intended.”
Yun Niang, the concubine, hadn't had a pleasant expression since entering. Zhang Huanglin didn't mind, instead thinking that a concubine daring to show displeasure to her master was indeed unruly and ill-mannered.
However, it was fortunate to have such a short-sighted fool stirring things up and whispering in his ear, captivated by jewelry. Otherwise, he wouldn't have persuaded Lu Mian so easily.
At the banquet, Zhang Huanglin and Xie Jue exchanged cups, calling each other ‘elder brother’ and ‘younger brother’ with great warmth.
Yun Ling felt increasingly unhappy and, without bothering to stay any longer, said she needed to use the restroom and left with her two maidservants.
Zhang Huanglin initially didn't pay much attention; if she needed to use the restroom, there were naturally people in his house to take her, and nothing could go wrong.
...until after two sticks of incense had burned.
A steward whispered in his ear, “That Yun Niang has been gone for two incense sticks' worth of time and still hasn't returned. The maidservants who were guiding her are also nowhere to be found.”
Zhang Huanglin's pupils constricted. He turned his head to see Lu Mian offering another toast, giving him no respite, so much so that he hadn't even noticed Yun Niang's absence for such a long time.
A bad feeling crept into his mind. Zhang Huanglin's smile gradually faded, and his face turned grim as he asked, “Brother Lu, why hasn't your concubine returned yet?”
Lu Mian responded calmly, “Isn't Yun Niang right here at Brother Zhang's estate? Why so much worry? Let's have another drink!”
Zhang Huanglin felt a sudden foreboding and immediately ordered all the servants and guards to search the backyard.
They searched the west wing, the east wing, and the outer courtyard, but found no trace of Yun Niang or her two maidservants. Zhang Huanglin's face darkened. He turned to Xie Jue, “Lu Mian, you came here to—”
Before he could finish, a servant rushed in, “Master, we've found Yun Niang! She and her two maidservants were hiding behind the artificial rockery, seemingly trying to investigate something. A few of the other servants caught them.”
Zhang Huanglin turned to see Lu Mian's face suddenly fall, and he coldly snorted. So these two, under the guise of business, had come to his estate to investigate something.
He'd thought it too good to be true, this seemingly incompetent young master appearing out of nowhere.
He subtly signaled a few servants to surround Lu Mian. If they had truly discovered something, neither of these two would be leaving his estate today.
“Let's go and see.”
……
Arriving in the inner courtyard, Yun Niang and her two maidservants were already being held by the servants, their struggles futile.
Seeing Zhang Huanglin approach, Yun Niang glared at him angrily.
Zhang Huanglin questioned her sharply, “Speak! What is your purpose in coming to my estate?”
To Zhang Huanglin's surprise, Yun Niang was also quite spirited. She glanced at Lu Mian behind her and retorted, “Why should I tell you? Is this how Master Zhang treats his guests—by arbitrarily detaining them?”
“Hmph, your excuses are useless. Don't think I don't know what you're up to,” Zhang Huanglin said, waving a hand dismissively. He was convinced he knew the purpose of their visit.
At that moment, a young maidservant rushed over, followed by the alluring dancer who had been seen earlier near the moon gate.
Seeing the situation before them, both women looked distraught.
That maidservant was the one who had just led Yun Niang to the restroom. Zhang Huanglin's steward scolded her, “Where have you been? Tell the truth!” He was clearly displeased at their incompetence.
The maid hurriedly knelt down, “Yun Niang said she wants to learn to dance from Lady Yue, and she said... she wants to learn secretly, without Lu Langjun¹ finding out. She wants to surprise him, so she asked me to find Lady Yue. She's waiting here. She also gave me a gold hairpin as a reward to give to Lady Yue.”
“Where is the gold hairpin?”
Lady Yue slowly stepped forward, taking a heavy gold hairpin from her sleeve. She trembled slightly as she said, “It's with me, Master. I absolutely didn't want to accept it. I came here to return the hairpin.”
Silence fell over the group after she spoke.
Zhang Huanglin's face was stiff. “She just wanted to learn to dance?”
“What else do you think it was?” Yun Niang shouted angrily. “I just wanted to learn to dance from your concubine! Master Zhang, you're so high and mighty, arbitrarily detaining innocent people, threatening to beat and kill them! If you harm so much as a hair on my head or Sixth Master's, the Lu family will never let you go!”
Zhang Huanglin turned to Lu Mian, his expression questioning. “Then why, Brother Lu…” His face was so ugly, wasn't it because the matter was exposed?
At that moment, Lu Mian looked coldly at Yun Niang. “You shameful thing, you've disgraced me.”
Zhang Huanglin remained silent. “……”
He had been wrong!
________________
Glossary:
¹ ‘Langjun’ is a term used to address a man, usually a young man, who is of a higher social standing. It's often used as a title of respect for a husband or a man of noble birth.
In this context, ‘Lu Langjun’ likely refers to the man Yun Niang is with, possibly her husband or someone she has a romantic relationship with.
…
Niang (娘):
- Meaning: A respectful title for a married woman, often translated as ‘Lady’ or ‘Mistress.’
- Usage: Used as a polite form of address, similar to ‘Mrs.’ or ‘Madame’ in English.
- Example: ‘Yun Niang’ is a name, with ‘Niang’ being the title indicating her marital status.
……
T/N: Yun Ling says her wound wasn't from the prince's bite, which is confusing since he did bite her. Maybe she didn't want to acknowledge ‘something’, or the author is building suspense. So, it's not a faulty translation from me. 😂
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LMAOOOO 😭😭
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